As with most people with eczema, Crosby's condition started when she was a baby. “Growing up, it had always been on my hands,” she said. “When I was 12, it progressed — it went up my arms. Fortunately, it avoided my face until I was in my late twenties.”

Her eczema seemed particularly bad when she was in her thirties and forties and under a great deal of stress from working full-time and managing a blended household that included her daughter and her second husband’s two children, she said.

Stress is one of many things that can cause eczema to flare, confirmed Peter Lio, MD, a clinical assistant professor in the department of dermatology and pediatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. More triggers that can cause flares include weather changes, new soaps, detergents, fabric softeners, and even foods. And sometimes, Dr. Lio said, there's no clear reason at all.

Eczema Management Tips

The goal of treatment is to calm the itch and inflammation, Lio said. But for Crosby, at times, the itchiness is so bad that little helps. When she was younger, her doctors would give her steroids, but as soon as she finished the course, her eczema would return and often with a vengeance, she said.

These days she has an eczema and skin care maintenance program that includes steroid ointment for her face. “I use it once a week, and it kind of controls it,” she said. Moisturizing is key, she added. “I keep big pots of Aquaphor in my house and carry some with me wherever I go.” And yet she can slather her skin with the healing ointment and with Vaseline, and it can still be dry in 20 minutes. “There’s no sign that I’ve used it,” she said.

Crosby said that her husband, Philip, is very supportive and has taken on household chores that are hard for her to do because of her skin condition. For example, he helps with heavy-duty cleaning jobs so she doesn’t have to use harsh chemicals.

When Crosby worked as a secretary in the dermatology department at Oregon Health & Science University, she wore gloves to protect her hands. But in 1998, though she was far from retirement age, she had to quit because her hands had become so red and raw that she could no longer stand it.

Over the years, Crosby has had several skin infections that landed her in the hospital and were life-threatening. Less than 10 percent of healthy people have the bacterium called Staphylococcus aureus on their skin. But most everyone who has eczema has it somewhere. And when it colonizes, that bacterium leads to an infection.

“My doctors have never been able to completely rid me of the staph colony,” she said. That means she has to watch for signs of an infection and never goes anywhere without a full supply of antibiotics. “An infection can come on with absolutely no warning,” she said. “All of a sudden it just starts and, if I don’t get oral antibiotics within a couple of hours, I’m in deep trouble.”

Among the eczema management tips Crosby has learned is to take baths with just a little bleach in the water. The bleach helps reduce bacteria on the skin, which Lio said is very helpful.

Advocating for Others

One of the dermatologists Crosby worked for at Oregon was Jon Hanifin, MD, who had been on the board of the National Psoriasis Foundation. An expert in the research and treatment of eczema, he believed that people with eczema needed a similar organization that promotes education and research, so he organized the National Eczema Association. Believing that patients needed to be on its board of directors, he recruited Crosby. “That was in 1988, and I’ve been with the organization ever since,” she said.

In the association's early years, Crosby helped edit its newsletter and worked in the office. She has been an advocate for people with eczema on the state, local, and national levels. She's also testified before Congress to advocate for more money for skin disease research and other issues affecting those with eczema and other skin conditions.

Living With Eczema: Daily Tips

Finding treatments can take a lot of work. “Often it requires some trial and error to find the right products and regimen for a patient,” Lio said. “We try to make a regimen that outlines what to do when they are flaring up — stronger medications to calm things down — and what to do when better — low-potency or even no medications, plus lots of skin support. We continue to look for better and safer treatments, but topical steroids work very well and can be used safely for short bursts.”

As Crosby knows, moisturizing for eczema is most important, Lio said. “Since we think that the skin barrier is damaged in eczema, we can help restore it and cover for it while it is being restored with good moisturizers,” he said. “There are many brands that seem to help, and part of the challenge is finding the one that feels good, does not sting or burn, and is not too costly.” Lio is also a fan of natural treatments such as sunflower seed oil and coconut oil on the skin. “Both seem to have positive effects in eczema,” he said.

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